HeXen: Beyond Heretic

A while back we talked about Hexen: Edge of Chaos, an unofficial sequel to Hexen made in the Doom 3 engine. After more than five years of working on the project, it's finally out, and all you'll need to play is a copy of Doom 3. Read on for more details, and the launch trailer.

First you'll need to install Doom 3 and make sure it's patched up to version 1.3.1. Once that's done, the mod can be downloaded from Fun Free Games. The team say that there are plans to extend the mod, adding more levels and areas in the future. They've put out a call for extra level designers and modellers to help make that happen. If you fancy getting involved, check out the Hexen mod site for more information, and some alternative download mirrors. Meanwhile, here's the launch trailer.

Hexen is back! A group of modders have resurrected the classic 1996 first person demon thrasher in the form of an unofficial sequel, made entirely in the Doom 3 engine. The project is called Hexen: Edge of Chaos, and it's taken the team over five years to make. Now, it's almost finished, and it's looking fantastic.

The three classes of the original game will all feature in the mod, letting you play as the melee obsessed Fighter, the mace wielding Cleric and the fragile fireball lobber, the Mage. Hexen broke from the norm in 1996 by having big levels tied together by hub locations, allowing for puzzles that could span wide areas. Hexen: Edge of Chaos will do the same, but will take advantage of Doom 3's advanced engine to recreate the hellish atmosphere of the original in even greater detail.

The game takes place after Hexen 2, and will have a story that ties in with both Hexen games and the Deathkings of the Dark Citadel expansion pack. Though the story and most of the areas are new, the mod will be revisiting some locations from the original game. Familiar enemies will also make a return, including the double headed Ettin demons and the ever irritating flying Afrit monsters. The pixelly old creatures of the original Hexen are now fully fleshed out 3D beasts, and have been superbly realised by the team's modelers and artists.

Most of the images released so far have concentrated on the Cleric, showing perfect recreations of the Serpent staff, his trusty mace and the devastating Wraithverge, which in the original game would summon ghosts to suck the life out of your enemies and then make them explode. It's weapons like the Wraithverge staff that makes us so excited about the prospect of a new Hexen game.

It's worth blowing the dust off your copy of Doom 3, because a demo release of the mod is imminent. It will focus on a single hub, with more planned for the future if the project is successful. Head over to the Hexen: Edge of Chaos site for more information.